20th July 2006

Ron Gibbins visits his spiritual home

Canadian Ron Gibbins has just completed a trip of a lifetime and it bought him to the village of Hook Norton. For his Grandfather John Gibbins, born 1878, worked at Hook Norton Brewery over 100 years ago.In the 1901 census, his occupation was recorded as Assistant Brewer. John married Edith Cox in 1901 and she worked as a teacher at Hook Norton School. They lived in a house on what was called Netting Street, now thought to be Scotland End. They moved with their four children in 1913 to Ontario, Canada along with many other settlers because of cheap farmland and they lived in a Presbyterian community.

In 1913, John died, just 35 years old. Ron’s father, Kenneth, was born in Hook Norton in 1907. Ron’s interest in visiting Hook Norton and the area was stimulated by his cousin, Doreen who came over to England in the 1980’s and took back a lot of brochures and leaflets about the brewery and the area. Ron paid a fleeting visit to Hook Norton many years ago but he was determined to return again one day after researching his family’s history. “Coming to see where my Grandfather spent so much time over 100 years ago, is like coming home, said Ron.